Yakima woman loses house to fire after cooking Thanksgiving dinner for homeless

YAKIMA, WA - A Yakima woman was so focused on getting the homeless a Thanksgiving dinner that she never considered her house burning down in the process.

It's a very unfortunate story about a woman who was just trying to do a good deed.

"I was cooking dinner for the homeless camp down there," said Alice Burke. "I'd plan on taking them Thanksgiving dinner and I thought I turned everything off in the kitchen...there was a pot of oil on the stove and it caught fire. Something like this could happen and within a matter of two minutes I lost everything...17 years of my life."

Burke says that's how she lost her home on November 22nd. During the fire, two other people were in the house, but thankfully they are okay. They are now in temporary shelters.

"I'm staying in the front bedroom here because I have no place to go....and the neighbor is giving us heat," said Burke.

She says she is thankful for the help she has received from neighbors and The Red Cross, which paid for three nights in a motel. It's the memories she lost during the fire that pains her.

"This was my grandfather's and he willed it to me because I took care of him for 11 years here," Burke said, "and it makes me miss my grandpa more."

As of now, Burke has created a GoFundMe page, but says finding a place she can afford is urgent.

"The Community Action Center in Toppenish says they would help with deposit and rent, but we can't find a place we can afford. The only way they would help is if we can afford it," said Burke.

TOPPENISH, Wa- Two people are in the hospital with guns shot wounds after 2 related shootings on Saturday night. At 7:41pm, officers responded to what started off as a possible eluding in town. The vehicle failed to stop for Ofc. Sholtys of the Yakama Nation Police. The driver lead officers to Astria Toppenish Hospital. Officers quickly learned a 15 year old gun shot victim, from Toppenish, was inside of the vehicle. With the assistance of Zillah PD, Yakima County Sheriff's Of...

TOPPENISH, Wa- Two people are in the hospital with guns shot wounds after 2 related shootings on Saturday night. At 7:41pm, officers responded to what started off as a possible eluding in town. The vehicle failed to stop for Ofc. Sholtys of the Yakama Nation Police. The driver lead officers to Astria Toppenish Hospital. Officers quickly learned a 15 year old gun shot victim, from Toppenish, was inside of the vehicle. With the assistance of Zillah PD, Yakima County Sheriff's Of...